The sun was shining, and I was doing my daily routine of polishing the treasure trove, sighing. It was a beautiful day outside, but I had no intention of going out. I'm an indoor person by nature. I can stay in the Clan Master's office for days unless someone takes me out.

The only contact I have with the outside world while I'm holed up atop the clan house is Eva. She comes to see me every day, whether I have business or not - or rather, she has business every day. An errand called a report. I usually just ignore her, but she's a good person and it doesn't seem to matter to her.

Today, she's bringing me a newspaper and reporting on the situation in the Imperial Capital.

'It seems that the Empire is taking the Astrological Institute's prophecy very seriously. It seems that the Empire is taking the prophecy of the Seer's House very seriously, and because of the case of the Sword Saint, they're asking around quite aggressively.

'Hmm, that's noisy. Too many things are happening in the Imperial Capital these days, aren't they?

'............'

Eva stares at me in silence. No, it's true that there may have been a few mistakes on my part, but ...... yesterday's incident wouldn't have happened if the Sword Saint hadn't sent me something strange in the first place.

It would be sad if she stopped bringing us treasures after we pointed them out, and since she brought us so many things, it wouldn't be surprising if there was at least one curse in the mix.

In the end, Citri didn't come back after a night.
He must have been busy with something else, because he should have noticed right away that the contents of the canteen had been switched. Good hunters are hard to come by, so basically I'm the only one in the Ghosts of Sorrows who has time on his hands.

Eva, who must be one of those busy people, says to me in a completely energy-saving mode.

'Apparently there's a big catch at the church, too.

'I'm not doing anything!

'............ Are you sure?

'............'

Eva looks at me with a frown. Apparently, she already knows that I was the cause of yesterday's commotion at the Academy of Magic.

I didn't. I didn't do anything, did I?

The Church and I have very little in common to begin with. The only connection we have is that Anthem is a member.

There are many gods in this world, but the God of All Light, whom the Church of Light and Spirit, to which Ansem belongs, consecrates as the supreme god, is one of the most famous gods in the world, and is the source of sacred magic, the art of healing.
Generally speaking, healers (writers) are those who worship this deity and borrow its power, and there are many believers among treasure hunters. The Black Gold Cross, which has the power to heal all of its members, has all of its followers except for the mage Marietta, and almost all of the people who work as "paladins" are also believers.

You can join the church if you want, but it's not for the faint of heart.
You can join the church if you want, but it is not active in acquiring followers - Ansem says that this is because the power of the God of All Light is not infinite.
Apparently, if the number of believers increases and the number of people who borrow his power increases, the power of each individual will be weakened. Apparently, this is one of the Church's top secrets, but it's a hard world. And the fact that there are believers all over the world in spite of such a reluctant organization shows the usefulness of the power of the God of Light.

When I went to the church to meet Ansem, he even scowled at me. I'm Ansem's best friend, my best friend! I'm also Lucia's brother.

He pondered for a moment and frowned.

'.................. Did I do something wrong, by any chance?

'............ I'm sorry to ask, but ...... do you have any idea what you've done?'

'No, not at all, but I didn't recognize you from the time of the Sword Saint or the Black World Tree. ......'

'............'

No,......, I thought back, but I still didn't do anything. In the first place, Anthem, unlike Liz and Luke, is not the type to pull me along, so she has not even approached the church recently.

In the event that you're looking for the best way to get the most out of your business, then you're going to want to take a look at the following.

'............ Well, the Church of the Light Spirit specializes in curse-related matters,......, and it is also said that it cooperated in the creation of the wards surrounding the Imperial City.'

'It makes sense that Anthem would be busy. ............ It should be here soon.'

I check my watch. Every day is a different escort, but today was Ansem's day.

Well, he's a holy knight who is immensely popular in the churches of the imperial capital. His popularity is probably even greater than Lucia's. He is even given armor as a reward for his treasure.
You may not be able to get out of the situation with all the fuss about the astrological and mystical institute's annoying prophecies. ...... I haven't had a chance to talk to Ansem recently, and I feel like I want to, but if he comes, I'll tell him it's okay because I'm not going out today.

The newspaper also wrote about the disaster that hit the magic academy, but hardly mentioned the cause of it. Apparently, Sage and the others had decided to hide the truth about the incident.
When I was relieved to find that there were no deaths, the sympathetic stone that I had thrown out on the desk started to tremble.

I feel like I've been shaking every day lately. ....... You'll be able to get a lot more than just a pair of shoes.
I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do this, but I'm sure I'll be able to do it.

'...... I'll kill you.

'............ You've got the wrong guy.

'I'll kill you! I didn't mean to tell you to stop cursing and start another case! I said, don't cause anything! I'd rather have a curse than this!

My ears perked up at the angry voice that sounded as if it had been shot right in front of me. I'm glad I didn't put it near my ear.
The voltage seems to be rising quite a bit, but I can't do anything about it unless you tell me what happened first.

'............ But I'm actually ...... Lucia's brother, aren't I?

You know that there's a huge uproar going on at the Primus Academy of Magical Sciences over a certain potion, right?

I'm not sure what to make of it, but I'm sure it's worth it.

I'm not sure if you're a fan of my work or not, but I'm sure you're a fan of mine.
I'm not sure what to do, but I'm sure it's a good idea.

I'll kill you. I just got a leak from my alchemist a few minutes ago, if it wasn't for that I wouldn't have known! It's a potion brought by your alchemist! I'm not sure what to do. The paralyzing gas wiped them out in an instant! I don't want to have to clean up your mess anymore! I'm not going to let you get away with this!

............ I see. What can I say? .......
I took a big deep breath to calm myself down and said fearfully.

'............ But that potion is probably strawberry milk.

'Oh?

The potion my alchemist brought in: .......

I'm not sure what to say about this, but I can tell you that it's a ...... maker. I'm not sure how a single strawberry milk can cause such an uproar.
I guessed from Franz's story that Citry took it to his old home without realizing it was strawberry milk.

Why didn't you notice?

Don't talk nonsense! I'm not sure if you've seen this before, but I'm sure you've.

I'm not sure what you're talking about, but I'm pretty sure he took it in my water bottle.

I'm not sure what you mean. ............?



With a violent sound of something falling, the sympathetic stone fell silent.

When I looked up, I saw Eva staring at me, her cheeks drawn together and trembling. No,......, this is not the same.

For once, it's not my fault. Shouldn't I be praised for that?
Even if it was a fake, there would have been a huge uproar. .......

'A curse is better than a curse ...... haha'.

What the hell do you want me to do? I just threw away the potion and filled my canteen with strawberry milk!

............Yeah, you're right. You're right. I did that for no good reason. I just wanted to compare the two. ...... I didn't think Citri would come at that time.

But it's not too late. I'm sure that once he realizes that he was mistaken, those crazy alchemists will calm down.
Even if the potion is a real danger, the reaction is strange, but I think it's best not to touch it too much. It's a good idea to stay away from dangerous people. .......

I crossed my legs on the chair and gave a hard-boiled smile to Eva, who was still frozen, and said.

'............ Eva, I'll leave the rest to you.

'? I'm not sure what you're talking about! Please don't leave it to me!

Eva's eyes widened, and she came at him as if in a panic. This might be the first time Eva has ever asked me not to leave something to her. Leah!

Just then, there was a loud footstep and a knock at the door.
When I answered, the door opened, I bent down, and Ansem came in softly.

'Ah, Ansem. Long time no see, you're late.'

'Mm, ............, sorry about that.'

A muffled voice comes from behind the lowered armor.
Oh, Anthem hasn't spoken in a while. It's also rare. Ava rolls her eyes too.

He's always been a quiet man. He's also a polite man.

Ansem's frame is inhumanly large, but the Clan Master's office was designed for Ansem's ever-growing body when it was built.
Well, you can't enter my private quarters, but I guess that's just the way it is. Please use the power of your armor to make yourself smaller and enter. .......

Anthem stands in front of you with a sluggish movement, like a large magical beast. If you're not sure what you're looking for, you can always ask for help.

When you stand in front of it, it still looks as oppressive as ever. Even Eva, who has known me for a long time, seemed to be a little deflated by this towering presence.

I sat down deeply in my chair and said to my childhood friend, who was the most polite of the party, that she had come to guard me despite her busy schedule.

'Church, you're in trouble with the curse, aren't you? I'm sorry you had to come all this way, but if you were busy, I'm not going out today, so I'm fine.

I mean, I'm not going out there with or without Ansem!

'.................. No.'

Ansem says a few words and sits down on the floor. With that, the floor shook a little.
He didn't seem to have any weapons or shields with him today, but even so, an opponent of his caliber would probably be able to strike a blow with his bare hands. Perhaps, in a battle royale with the Ghost of Sorrows, he would be the one standing last.
If he were at the Martial Emperor Festival, he would have won.

'Well, make yourself at home.

''Mm.''

Ansem gave a small nod and remained still. When he stops moving, he looks less like a person and more like a large object.

Is he ...... relaxing? Well, if it's okay with him, it's okay with me.

Eva is puzzled by the unusual visitor. The confusion he had felt earlier had magically disappeared. I guess that's one of his virtues.
He's kind and strong. If he had been as quick to fight as Lizzie and the others, he would have been in big trouble, but the world is good at what it does.

I stood up, took out a metal polishing spray and a mop, and approached Ansem.
I've just finished polishing a treasure trove and I'm feeling a little bored, let's polish it up.

As I sprayed his back like a wall, Ansem tilted his face to look at me and said in a muffled voice.

'.................. No.'

'Don't be shy.'

'............ No.'

Treasure armor is hard to clean and polishing it won't change much, but it's better than not polishing it.
As I began to scrub the armor with a mop, Ansem stopped moving again, as if he had given up.












By the time I had finished scrubbing the armor, the sun had set and my body was aching.
I have a good collection, but only Anthem's armor (though technically his armor is not part of my collection) is worth the exercise of maintenance.


'Oh, the Lamentations of Marin. A spell that the church had sealed away, huh?

'.................. Mm.'

Anthem nodded gravely. It seems that the rumors Eva had heard about the Church's big catch were true.
Ansem is quiet, but he is not averse to communication. As he polished his armor, the conversation revealed the general situation.

Apparently, the Church is currently in the process of purifying its spells. It seems that Ansem is being mobilized for this.

The power of the All-Father of Light is not limited to healing. It also includes sealing and warding.
Originally, the Church of Light in the Empire had a number of powerful spells that had been sealed away for a long time.

Although sealed spells do not seem to be dangerous, sealing techniques are not perfect. It can break down over time, and although it is not a rare occurrence, it can suddenly break down. In fact, there have been cases where great damage has been caused by this.
The spells had been stored without any problems until now, but it was only natural that Zebuldia, who had been diligently searching for the cause of the Astrological Institute's prophecy, would focus on them.

And as a result of discussions between the upper echelons of the Empire and the Church, a decision was made to purge the Lamentations of Marin, a spell that was said to be the most powerful of all the seals.

The idea was that it would be better to break the seal and purify it under the best possible conditions than to suddenly break the seal and destroy the country. It's a reversal of thinking.

It had been a long time, and the time was approaching when the seal would need to be redone, but the Church was also doing something quite drastic.

'Are you sure about that?

'.................. hmm?'

Anthem tilted her head. The cleansing of the spell is all well and good, but you must remember that Ansem is a member of our party.
He may be sturdy and calm, but that doesn't mean he doesn't feel anything. I check with Hardboiled.

'Do you want me to help you?



'No.'

He said no. ...... Lies and Luke would have been overjoyed. But that's the beauty of it!
Well, well, I'm sure Anthem will be fine. If you want, you can take Ark, Sven, or even Lucia with you. The church may not like outsiders to join, but safety comes first.

'By the way, what kind of spell is 'Lamentations of Marin' exactly?

'..................'

I have a few treasures in my collection that could be used in such a situation, but I'd rather not give them to you.

It is a terrible curse that has been sealed in the church for many years, and has been chosen for purification because it might destroy the imperial capital if the seal is carelessly broken.
Originally, the means of sealing were usually used against unruly beings. In the case of "Lamentations of Marine," the Church's forces at the time were too powerful to purify it, so it was probably sealed.
The Church of Light and Spirit must have been a major force for a long time. Just by listening to the story, I could smell the danger in the air. If I had to rate the level of difficulty, I'd say it was at least an 8.

If I did something here, I might not be able to get back this time. I've been giving Ansem a lot of trouble, and I'd like to show him that I'm useful once in a while.

So Ansem nodded broadly and said in a breath.


'Marin's Lamentations is a top-ranked spell that was sealed in the church before the Imperial City was built here. It is an abominable spell weapon created by a dark mage who modified the grudge of a woman named Marin who died an untimely death, and it has long been a headache for the Church of Light and Spirit. It was the first thing that came to mind when Zebuldia told us about the prophecy. The Empire's offer was a boon, a unique opportunity to cleanse the world with the full backing of a great power. There's nothing for Krai to worry about.


Well, ...... looks pretty bad. It's a shame to live in a big city with such a dangerous thing sealed in the church of the city you live in.


'............ How much damage has that weapon caused so far?

'........................ Mm.'

'I mean, that's definitely the one the astrological institute predicted, isn't it? He said that the country would be destroyed, and ...... there's no curse stronger than that, right?''

I'm sure you're not the only one who's been affected by this. I'm scared.
I'd run if I could, but I can't just leave Ansem and run.

I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not, but I think it's a good idea.

'Is it ............ the second one or ...... is there a higher one?'

'Mm.

I'm so glad I didn't become a holy knight. I never thought I'd have to face such a terrible person. ...... Well, it's not so much that I didn't become one, but that I couldn't.

'Let's think positively. I'm glad I'm not the best.'

'............mm'.

Anthem sighed deeply and nodded as I smiled and patted him on the shoulder.

Then, suddenly, the door opened without a knock and Citri jumped in.

Citri was so battered that I could tell at a glance. There were no obvious scars, but his hair and costume were in disarray, and he was holding his left arm with his right hand, as if something had happened.
As he staggered into the room, he made a sweet, sultry sound.



I'm not sure what's going on. And ...... big brother.'

'Mm.'

At the sight of his brother, Citry's somewhat fragile expression hardened.

'What's wrong with you?

'............ No, no.'

It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're doing. He took his hand away from her and dusted off his robe. You will find a lot of people who are looking for the best way to get the most out of their life.
I'm glad to see you're fine. From the looks of it, you're not hurt and you don't seem to have any mental problems.
Well, even if you're not well, as long as you're alive, Anthem will heal you. ...... But what was he planning to do with a temporary illness?

I'm not sure what you're talking about.

'Because of Mr. Cry's plan, the Primus Academy of Magical Sciences has been closed for the time being. Most of the upper echelons have been arrested, and ...... my credibility has been destroyed. The only thing I can do now is to let Kry-san ...... keep me by his side! For a while!

'............Yes.

It's not like it's a plan or anything, and it looks like a hell of a lot of trouble, but I can't think of anything else to say about it except that the Imperial Capital has become more peaceful.
I'm sure it was a hell of a scene,......, and I'm very sorry for the loss of trust, but you seem to have a lot of time on your hands,........ I'm sure you'll have a great time.

I'm not sure what to say, but I'm sure you'll understand. Both Lizzie and Citly are good kids, but each of them has a strong personality, so I can only imagine the hardship Ansem must be going through. It is highly possible that his tolerance is due to the influence of his two sisters.

As proof of this, I have a sister who is impeccable, and here I am.

Perhaps he was embarrassed to be seen acting, but Citri was like a borrowed cat. Normally, he would be able to give you a hug, but he looked at my brother with a complicated expression, and then he blinked and took out a small box from his pocket.

What was inside was a pendant of an old cross. A dull silver cross on a gold chain. In the center was a large crimson gemstone. It was a little dirty, but if you wanted to buy it, you could probably get a pretty good price.

I looked at the pendant I had received and looked through the light. It doesn't seem to be a treasure trove, but as I carefully peer into the deep crimson jewel, I see strange inscriptions inside. Citri explains to me.

'My master gave it to me secretly, just before he was captured. It says it's a time-honored talisman. If you carry it around with you, the spirits will protect you. ......'

'I see. ............ The spirits of the dead will protect you. It's a perfect fit for the current anthem.



It's a good idea to use a cross as a symbol of holiness. It's the kind of item you'd expect to find on an anthem that's going to be used to cleanse your body of curses.
It's better than nothing, I suppose. Could it be that fate has been making a ruckus for this?

............ is just too annoying.

'...... Mmmm.'

Ansem growls in a stifled voice. I unfasten the chain and place the pendant around Ansem's neck.